Ohio Sex Offenders

The state of Ohio gave more priority
to sex offenders registration after the implementation of Megan’s
Law in 1996. The law ensures that persons convicted of a sexual
offense must register and remain in the state.

Ohio Sex Offender Law classifies sex
offenders into 3 tiers:

Tier I offender (Low-risk
offenders)

Tier II offender (Moderate-
risk offenders)

Tier III offender (High-risk
offenders)

This
classification depends on the nature of crime and conviction served
by the court. An offender’s duration of registration depends on
his/her tier:

Tier I offenders register for
15 years

Tier II offenders register for
25 years

Tier III offenders register for
a lifetime

The frequency of verifying the
registration also depends on the class of the offenders:

Once a year for Tier I
offenders

Every 180 days for Tier II
offenders

Every 90 days for Tier III
Offenders

Residents of Ohio get notified
whenever an offender moves 1200 feet near their neighborhood. The
residents get this notification by mail. The notification contains
identifying information on the offender. The residents get safety
tips on how to protect themselves from these offenders.

The law allows law enforcement
agencies in the state to carry out unannounced checks on sex
offenders registered in Ohio. This is to make sure the registered
information is correct and not misleading.

Ohio Sex Offender Registry

Ohio sex offender registry updates
the information on registered sex offenders living in the state. This
information is available to the public through the registry’s
website. Visit your local law enforcement agency for more information
on sex offenders in Ohio.

Compelling prostitution (when
the person who is compelled, induced, procured, encouraged,
solicited, requested, or facilitated to engage in, paid or agreed
to be paid for, or allowed to engage in the sexual activity in
question is under 18 years of age) - OHIO REV. CODE ANN. § 2907.21
(West 2008).

A violent sex offense, or a
designated homicide, assault, or kidnapping offense if the offender
also was convicted of or pleaded guilty to a sexual motivation
specification that was included in the indictment, count in the
indictment, or information charging the designated homicide, assault,
or kidnapping offense:

Violent sex offense - Rape,
sexual battery or gross sexual imposition with a person less than
13 years of age. Also includes a felony violation of another state
or the United States that is substantially equivalent to one of
these crimes or the attempt or complicity to commit these crimes if
it is a felony.

Designated homicide, assault
or kidnapping offense - Aggravated murder, murder, felonious
assault, kidnapping or involuntary manslaughter (unlawful
termination of another's pregnancy as a proximate result of the
offender's committing or attempting to commit a felony). Also, the
attempt or complicity to commit these crimes if it is a felony.

A violation of any former law
of this state, any existing or former municipal ordinance or law of
another state or the United States, any existing or former law
applicable in a military court or in an Indian tribal court, or any
existing or former law of any nation other than the United States,
that is or was substantially equivalent to any offense listed
above.

An attempt to commit,
conspiracy to commit, or complicity in committing any offense
listed above.

An act committed by a person under
eighteen years of age that is any of the following:

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
(child's case transferred for criminal prosecution), regardless of
the age of the victim of the violation, a violation of:

A violent sex offense, or a
designated homicide, assault, or kidnapping offense if the offender
also was convicted of or pleaded guilty to a sexual motivation
specification that was included in the indictment, count in the
indictment, or information charging the designated homicide, assault,
or kidnapping offense:

Violent sex offense - Rape,
sexual battery or gross sexual imposition with a person less than
13 years of age. Also includes a felony violation of another state
or the United States that is substantially equivalent to one of
these crimes or the attempt or complicity to commit these crimes if
it is a felony.

Designated homicide, assault
or kidnapping offense - Aggravated murder, murder, felonious
assault, kidnapping or involuntary manslaughter (unlawful
termination of another's pregnancy as a proximate result of the
offender's committing or attempting to commit a felony). Also, the
attempt or complicity to commit these crimes if it is a felony.

A violation of any former law
of this state, any existing or former municipal ordinance or law of
another state or the United States, any existing or former law
applicable in a military court or in an Indian tribal court, or any
existing or former law of any nation other than the United States,
that is or was substantially equivalent to any offense listed
above.

An attempt to commit,
conspiracy to commit, or complicity in committing any offense
listed above.

An act committed by a person under
eighteen years of age that is any of the following:

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
(child's case transferred for criminal prosecution), regardless of
the age of the victim of the violation, a violation of:

Rape - OHIO REV. CODE ANN. §
2907.02 (West 2008).

Sexual battery - OHIO REV.
CODE ANN. § 2907.03 (West 2008).

Gross sexual imposition - OHIO
REV. CODE ANN. § 2907.05 (West 2008).

Importuning - OHIO REV. CODE
ANN. § 2907.07 (West 2008).

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
(child's case transferred for criminal prosecution) of this section,
any of the following acts involving a minor in the circumstances
specified:

Kidnapping (when the victim is
less than 18 years of age) - OHIO REV. CODE ANN. § 2905.01(A)(4)
(West 2008).

Voyeurism (when the victim is
less than 18 years of age) - OHIO REV. CODE ANN. § 2907.08 (West
2008).

Any violent sex offense that,
if committed by an adult, would be a felony of the first, second,
third, or fourth degree.

Any designated homicide,
assault, or kidnapping offense if that offense, if committed by an
adult, would be a felony of the first, second, third, or fourth
degree and if the court determined that, if the child were an adult,
the child would be guilty of a sexual motivation specification
regarding that offense. A violation or attempt to violate any of the
following that is committed with a sexual motivation:

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
(transfer of the child for criminal prosecution), a violation or
attempt to violate any of the following if the person who violates or
attempts to violate the division is four or more years older than the
minor who is the victim of the violation:

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
(transfer of the child for criminal prosecution), a violation of any
of the following when the victim of the violation is eighteen years
of age or older, and the offense is committed with a sexual
motivation:

Voyeurism - OHIO REV. CODE ANN.
§ 2907.08 (West 2008).

Sexual imposition - OHIO REV.
CODE ANN. § 2907.06 (West 2008).

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
of this section, any violation of any former law of Ohio, any
existing or former municipal ordinance or law of another state or
the United States, or any existing or former law applicable in a
military court or in an Indian tribal court that is or was
substantially equivalent to an offense listed above and that, if
committed by an adult, would be a felony in the first, second,
third, or fourth degree.

Subject to division (D)(2)(i)
of this section, any attempt to commit, conspiracy to commit, or
complicity in committing any offense listed in division (D)(2)(a),
(b), (c), (d), (e), (f), or (g) of this section.

If the child's case has been
transferred for criminal prosecution under section 2152.12 of the
Revised Code, the act is an offense listed for adults or would be an
offense listed in any of those divisions if committed by an adult.

Information maintained in Ohio Sex Offender Registry

R.C. § 2950.04 (West 2008)

(C) The registration form to be used
under divisions (A) and (B) of this section shall include or contain
all of the following for the offender or delinquent child who is
registering:

(1)The offender's or delinquent
child's name and any aliases used by the offender or delinquent
child;

(2)The offender's or delinquent
child's social security number and date of birth, including any
alternate social security numbers or dates of birth that the
offender or delinquent child has used or uses;

(3)Regarding an offender or
delinquent child who is registering under a duty imposed under
division (A)(1) of this section, a statement that the offender is
serving a prison term, term of imprisonment, or any other type of
confinement or a statement that the delinquent child is in the
custody of the department of youth services or is confined in a
secure facility that is not operated by the department;

(4)Regarding an offender or
delinquent child who is registering under a duty imposed under
division (A)(2), (3), or (4) of this section as a result of the
offender or delinquent child residing in this state or temporarily
being domiciled in this state for more than three days, the current
residence address of the offender or delinquent child who is
registering, the name and address of the offender's or delinquent
child's employer if the offender or delinquent child is employed at
the time of registration or if the offender or delinquent child knows
at the time of registration that the offender or delinquent child
will be commencing employment with that employer subsequent to
registration, any other employment information, such as the general
area where the offender or delinquent child is employed, if the
offender or delinquent child is employed in many locations, and the
name and address of the offender's or public registry-qualified
juvenile offender registrant's school or institution of higher
education if the offender or public registry qualified juvenile
offender registrant attends one at the time of registration or if the
offender or public registry-qualified juvenile offender registrant
knows at the time of registration that the offender or public
registry-qualified juvenile offender registrant will be commencing
attendance at that school or institution subsequent to registration;

(5)Regarding an offender or public
registry-qualified juvenile offender registrant who is registering
under a duty imposed under division (A)(2), (3), or (4) of this
section as a result of the offender or public registry-qualified
juvenile offender registrant attending a school or institution of
higher education in this state on a full-time or part-time basis or
being employed in this state or in a particular county in this state,
whichever is applicable, for more than three days or for an aggregate
of fourteen or more days in any calendar year, the name and current
address of the school, institution of higher education, or place of
employment of the offender or public registry-qualified juvenile
offender registrant who is registering, including any other
employment information, such as the general area where the offender
or public registry-qualified juvenile offender registrant is
employed, if the offender or public registry-qualified juvenile
offender registrant is employed in many locations;

(6) The identification license plate
number of each vehicle the offender or delinquent child owns, of each
vehicle registered in the offender's or delinquent child's name, of
each vehicle the offender or delinquent child operates as a part of
employment, and of each other vehicle that is regularly available to
be operated by the offender or delinquent child; a description of
where each vehicle is habitually parked, stored, docked, or otherwise
kept; and, if required by the bureau of criminal identification and
investigation, a photograph of each of those vehicles;

(7)If the offender or delinquent
child has a driver's or commercial driver's license or permit issued
by this state or any other state or a state identification card
issued under section 4507.50 or 4507.51 of the Revised Code or a
comparable identification card issued by another state, the driver's
license number, commercial driver's license number, or state
identification card number;

(8) If the offender or delinquent
child was convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or was adjudicated a
delinquent child for committing the sexually oriented offense
resulting in the registration duty in a court in another state, in a
federal court, military court, or Indian tribal court, or in a court
in any nation other than the United States, a DNA specimen, as
defined in section 109.573 of the Revised Code, from the offender or
delinquent child, a citation for, and the name of, the sexually
oriented offense resulting in the registration duty, and a certified
copy of a document that describes the text of that sexually oriented
offense;

(9) A description of each
professional and occupational license, permit, or registration,
including those licenses, permits, and registrations issued under
Title XLVII of the Revised Code, held by the offender or delinquent
child;

(10) Any email addresses, internet
identifiers, or telephone numbers registered to or used by the
offender or delinquent child;

(11) Any other information required
by the bureau of criminal identification and investigation.

Community Notification and Websites

ALA. CODE § 15-20-25 (West 2008)

R.C. § 2950.11 (West 2008)

The sheriff shall provide the notice
to all of the following persons:

(1)

Any occupant of each
residential unit that is located within one thousand feet of the
offender's or delinquent child's residential premises that is
located within the county served by the sheriff, and that is not
located in a multi-unit building.

If the offender or delinquent
child resides in a multi-unit building, any occupant of each
residential unit that is located in that multi-unit building and
that shares a common hallway with the offender or delinquent child.

The building manager, or the
person the building owner or condominium unit owners association
authorizes to exercise management and control, of each multi-unit
building that is located within one thousand feet of the offender's
or delinquent child's residential premises, including a multi-unit
building in which the offender or delinquent child resides, and that
is located within the county served by the sheriff.

In addition to notifying the
building manager or the person authorized to exercise management and
control in the multi-unit building under this division, the sheriff
shall post a copy of the notice prominently in each common entryway
in the building, and any other location in the building the sheriff
determines appropriate.

Instead of posting copies of
the notice as described in this division, a sheriff may provide
notice to all occupants of the multi-unit building by mail or
personal contact; if the sheriff so notifies all the occupants, the
sheriff is not required to post copies of the notice in the common
entryways to the building.

(d) All additional persons who are
within any category of neighbors of the offender or delinquent child.

(2) The executive director of the
public children services agency that has jurisdiction within the
specified geographical notification area and that is located within
the county served by the sheriff;

(3) (a) The superintendent of each
board of education of a school district that has schools within the
specified geographical notification area and that is located within
the county served by the sheriff;

(4) (a) The appointing or hiring
officer of each chartered nonpublic school located within the
specified geographical notification area and within the county served
by the sheriff or of each other school located within the specified
geographical notification area and the county served by the sheriff;

(5) The director, head teacher,
elementary principal, or site administrator of each preschool program
that is located within the specified geographical notification area
and the county served by the sheriff;

(6) The administrator of each child
day-care center or type A family day-care home that is located within
the specified geographical notification area and the county served by
the sheriff, and the provider of each certified type B family
day-care home that is located within the specified geographical
notification area and the county served by the sheriff.

(7) The president or other chief
administrative officer of each institution of higher education that
is located within the specified geographical notification area and
the county served by the sheriff, and the chief law enforcement
officer of the state university law enforcement agency or campus
police department, if any, that serves that institution;

(8) The sheriff of each county that
includes any portion of the specified geographical notification area;

(9) If the offender or delinquent
child resides within the county served by the sheriff, the chief of
police, marshal, or other chief law enforcement officer of the
municipal corporation in which the offender or delinquent child
resides or, if the offender or delinquent child resides in an
unincorporated area, the constable or chief of the police department
or police district police force of the township in which the offender
or delinquent child resides.

R.C. § 2950.13 (West 2008)

(11):

Through the bureau of criminal
identification and investigation, establish and operate on the
internet a sex offender and child-victim offender database that
contains information for every offender who has committed either a
sexually oriented offense that is not a registration-exempt sexually
oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense and who
registers in any county in this state.

The bureau shall determine the
information to be provided on the database for each offender and
shall obtain that information from the information contained in the
state registry of sex offenders and child-victim offenders which
information, while in possession of the sheriff who provided it, is
a public record open for inspection.

The database is a public record
open for inspection, and it shall be searchable by offender name, by
county, by zip code, and by the school district.

The database shall provide a
link to the website of each sheriff who has established and operates
on the internet a sex offender and child-victim offender database
that contains information for offenders who register in that county,
with the link being a direct link to the sex offender and
child-victim offender database for the sheriff.

Limitations
on Residency or Employment

R.C. § 2950.031 (West 2008)

• Registrants may not establish
residence or occupy residential premises within 1000 feet of any
school.

Duration
of Registration

R.C. § 2950.07 (West 2008)

(B) 10 years for offenders not
subject to 20-year of lifetime registration

20 years for habitual sex offenders.
Life for:

Sexual predators;

Offenders convicted of
aggravated sexually oriented offenses; or

Persons adjudicated a
child-victim predator.

Timeframe
for Registration

Within 30 days of entering any
county; 10 days of changing the address

Does a Sex Offender Live Near Your Family?

Find Out Now.

Encouraging Children to Share

It isn't always easy to build a trusting relationship with your child. Trying to get your children to share what is going on in their lives can be difficult.

Building an open and welcoming environment from the beginning stages of a child's life is essential. Children are less intimidated and more likely to discuss issues and topics in their lives with an open and supportive environment.

Getting your kids to share serves as a building block for times when your child needs to discuss pressing issues like sex and sexual abuse.

Free Parental eBook

KidsLiveSafe put together a comprehensive parents guide about sexual predators and keeping children safe. This free online eBook includes vital statistics, how to tell if a predator is victimizing a child, and social media and cyber-bullying.